Portable protection barriers for Troops

2 Sep 2019 02:33 PM

Have you got an idea for a lightweight protection barrier on the battlefield?

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is launching Phase 2 of ‘Take Cover!’ This competition is seeking lightweight, portable, rapidly deployable troop and equipment protection on the front-line.

Phase 2 is looking for novel physical systems and technologies that can form a suite of protection measures for personnel and equipment, above or below ground. We want to find and fund ideas and innovations for structures that can be easily stored, transported and crucially, rapidly constructed by troops in operational areas. Particularly, we want to hear from innovators working on protective structures that could potentially be self-erecting, inflatable, unfurling or folding for example.

The physical barrier will need to be capable of protecting a small group of up to 10 soldiers and their equipment and any solution should be simple to construct, not requiring any specialist training or specific or heavy tools.

This competition focuses on protection from ballistic threats and fragmentation for soldiers on the front line, but the protection against blast and directed energy threats would also be of interest.

Total funding of up to £550k is available for this phase to fund multiple projects. Full details are available in the competition document.

The competition closes on Tuesday 29 October 2019 at midday (GMT).

Queries should be sent to accelerator@dstl.gov.uk.